


Cupid's Arrow

by HailSam



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Errortale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Inktale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Swapfell (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underfell (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underswap (Undertale), Every AU, M/M, Multi, Platonic Soulmates, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, probably
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:35:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25120243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HailSam/pseuds/HailSam
Summary: "Welcome to Cupid's Arrow! With the marks that decorate your body, we can pinpoint your soulmate within 99.9% accuracy! Along with a personality test and a profile set up, we're bound to find the ONE meant for YOU!"That's the jingle on the ad, and the one you hear when you access their website. Of course, anyone would be curious to see if they could find their soulmate. Who wouldn't be?These are the tales of various monsters who, either curious, wanting, or dragged along by friends, join Cupid's Arrow to find...their soulmate.
Relationships: Grillby/Sans (Undertale), Mettaton/Papyrus (Undertale), Papyrus/Papyrus (Undertale), Papyrus/Sans (Undertale), Sans/Sans (Undertale), W. D. Gaster/Sans
Comments: 32
Kudos: 64





	1. The Jingle

**Author's Note:**

> This is a themed series of oneshots, in a way. I don't know all the AUs by heart, nor all the pairings, but by golly I want to give them ALL a go! So, if there's a certain pairing you'd like to see on any chapter, just pop it in comments! You can suggest how they'd react, or whether they have a past or not, whatever! But they will meet through...Cupid's Arrow.

"Welcome to Cupid's Arrow! With the marks that decorate your body, we can pinpoint your soulmate within 99.9% accuracy! Along with a personality assessment and a profile set up, we're bound to find the ONE meant for YOU!

Our special algorithms make it so easy to find someone who matches your special marks!

Here at Cupid's Arrow, we understand that these marks are sacred. Everyone has a mark, or a series of marks, in shapes of things that their soulmate loves or cares about. From cars to little pets, to very specific things such as flipping homes or their work! Every child grows up knowing that these marks would lead them to the one meant for them, their person who would know them inside and out.

What we do first is take a personality assessment, see what YOU are like. We look through the various images to match them to your interests, and build what we call a ‘mark assumption’. What this is, is that it ‘assumes’ what the marks on your soulmate can be. Then we take a photo of YOUR marks (or write them down should they be in a sensitive place) and add them to our database.

We make up a profile including your name, your image, hobbies, interests, and whatever you’d like to add!

And then...it goes into our database...and then comes the ~magic~.

We have had remarkable success, ranging from an instant connection between two individuals, to taking only three weeks to find someone’s match. We’ve had the rare opportunity of seeing a set of three soulmates, and we proudly hold the title of being the fastest-and most affordable-’dating’ site of 20XX!

Of course, we do have payment plans, starting at…

…

…

Satisfaction guaranteed! However, if you are not satisfied, we will cheerfully return a portion of your payment, so long as you agree to keep your information within our database for the next 4-6 weeks. After that time limit, you have the option of receiving a full refund but your information pulled from our database, or half a refund and a three month search on our end to find your soulmate. After that final sprint, if nothing comes of it, we will refund the rest of your money.

Call today! 1-800-SOU-LM8U! 

(or click here for a quick consultation).”

…

…

“Thank you for your interest in Cupid’s Arrow! We require your name, address, phone number, a few pieces of information about you, and a time and date we can interview you. As sometimes this can be an all-day event, we have a very wonderful set of rooms that one can relax in as they wait. We suggest bringing at least a change of clothes, and we will provide snacks.”

…

…

“FAQ:

What exactly would I be doing there?

It’s actually a very extensive process! As much as we like to portray it being so simple, it’s quite the job to find your special soulmate! As we know some come from far away, we have equipped rooms for them to stay in for the week, providing food and entertainment as we work behind the scenes to get ‘their one’.

We know it will be a little nerve-wracking, and will allow access to your phone and a computer. However, none of the visitors are allowed to see one another. We find that sometimes, this can influence things and that it would be harder for us to work.

Not to say there’s anything wrong with those who marry someone besides their soulmate! There are platonic ones as we all know. But Cupid’s Arrow focuses on the romantic, and we do our best to keep our clients happy.

What happens when you find my one?

If you are staying with us, we will take you to them and allow you time to get to know one another. We understand the elation one may feel finding their one, so we leave the new couples to their devices, and will only interrupt should we feel something is wrong.

For Platonic Soulmates: we understand that, sometimes, the one you are destined for is not the one you are meant to love. As we were taught as children, we will know instantly what we are to one another when we find them. Should you both find you are platonic, we will offer our services as just a dating agency afterwards.

How old do I have to be?

We are strictly 18 and up. There are teen sites for them to try and find their own soulmate, but we are adult only. We also do not accept infants, or children, as they are much too young to ‘know’ their soulmate. Due to the incident with Miss Morris in 20XX (link is blue), no children at all are allowed on our site. We thank you for respecting our decision.”

…

…

“Thank you for your registration! Be on the lookout for our call within the next few hours, and have a glorious day!”


	2. Sans/Fellby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans and Fellby's meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY HEY HEY  
> I DID THE THING  
> *ahem*  
> So I've decided that yes I want all the suggestions but if one suggests it more than once (like with Fellby and Sans, then someone asks for more of them) it won't be a brand new 'meeting', it'll be a continuation! Like more dates, the wedding, eventually kids, moving in together, etc. etc. it'll still focus a ltitle on the marks but I thought it'd be fun QwQ

A frying pan for cooking, a jacket of some kind, and G. Then again who didn’t like money? Let you buy hobby stuff, that’s good shit. They decorate his humerus in small ink blotches, as if someone tapped him with a paintbrush each time. So small, he normally used a mirror to see it, amused whenever he did.

(A skull of someone he’s never met, ketchup bottle, a neuron, the word ‘puns’...the scrawled shapes, a sharp contrast to his purple flames, slid around his wrist like a bracelet he couldn’t take off. Sometimes he slid a thumb over one of the images, but otherwise, he tended to avoid looking at them.)

Sans and Papyrus had always been two opposite halves despite being brothers. Papyrus, loud and boisterous. Sans, quiet, and introverted. But they had one thing in common.

They cared for one another.

The only reason-the ONLY REASON-Sans even entertains this idea is because Papyrus wants to ‘try it out’. Papyrus’ marks are different, of course. They scrawled down his backbone in large commanding shapes, and he claimed they were a little more sensitive than the rest of his bones.

Sans could see why he’d be curious. The shapes were...very odd, plus...he couldn’t really make out what they were.

But Sans? He...wasn’t that curious to find out who his soulmate was.

When one met their soulmate, it would appear as a full image on both of their bodies, wherever the marks had laid before. The only place left would be his scapulae. Alongside that, they switched from black inky hues to a colorful rainbow.

Nice and all...but like...he just didn’t have the energy to really look into all that?

Lately, he’d been kinda slowing down as it was. His job as a physicist at the local science center was amazing, as always, but he found himself...stuck with nothing to do more often than not. Alphys, one of his fellow coworkers, had decided to fill her time writing fanfiction (he couldn’t blame her…), but that wasn’t his schtick.

He just found himself listless. Nothing to do. Not much going on.

So eh, why not go along and have something new happen, sure.

His ‘coordinator’ was a peppy human who had an odd pink nurse’s outfit on with a heart and bow and arrow stitched on the breast of his pocket. “Alright! So, first thing’s first, what do you look for in a datemate?”

Sans scratched his cheek, idly looking around in thought. Cupid’s Arrow was a strange place. Everything was glitzed to the hilt with sequins, pink and red furniture, and soft music...and the smell of roses. Everywhere. The couch he and Pap had sat on waiting had been neon pink and as fluffy as Asgore.

The seats in this room had metal backs shaped like hearts, the desk between them a pastel pink instead.

They really went all-out, huh…

“Um, I dunno,” Sans focused back in, blinking. “Heh, someone who likes puns.”

“Oh that’s a good one,” the coordinator said, typing away. “Any specifics? Like hobbies you’d like to share?”

On the man’s desk, it said his name was ‘Cupido’. Sans both hoped that was his real name and hoped that it was just part of the schtick. “Um...I guess cooking. It’s on my-”

“Marks, yes,” the man bobbed his head. They had photographed the marks earlier, thankfully they weren’t in an awkward place (unlike some he knew, where the marks crept under the waistband of their pants, or weirdly enough, on the bottom of their feet). “But what about what you want? Hm?”

Sans scratched his cheek, shrugging. “Science? I like science.”

“You work as a physicist, that’s right!” ‘Cupido’ laughed, typing away faster. “So someone who at least is a little intrigued in that field would be nice.”

“I guess.” Sans had always been of the mind that while it’d be nice, couples didn’t and shouldn’t have to share hobbies. If they were interested sure, but it wouldn’t hurt his feelings should whoever it was want to go hiking every weekend or had some kind of game group they went to. It’d be...intruding in his opinion unless one was asked. But also...ugh...hiking. He’d leave it to the professionals.

Cupido hummed along to the soft music tinkering over the speakers, typing away. “So possibly science...puns...that does help narrow it down!”

“Heh, yeah, not a lot of folks like puns,” Sans chuckled.

“Actually, this does sound vaguely familiar…” Cupido cupped his own chin in thought, clicking his tongue. “Oh wait! There is someone, but...they’re a bit hard to track down,” he laughed nervously. “It might be a while, is that okay?”

For some reason, Sans’ soul skipped a little beat, but he ignored it and shrugged. “Sure sure, ain’t like I ain’t got time.”

They both laughed, lapsing into silence after a while. It wasn’t much longer until Sans was ‘free’ to leave, not like they were forcing him, or anything.

It’s not something to get worked up over, he told himself. Whether or not it happened wouldn’t hurt him too badly. After all, he was...content to leave things to chance...and lazy too. Kind of. Go with the flow more like, never wanting to fight against the current that pushed and swayed him through life. Why bother? Things either happen or they didn’t. Besides, he had other things going on…like work...or hanging out with his bro.

Ya know.

Things.

~~

There’s a reason he hates his marks.

They’re white.

He’s the only stars damned fire elemental with _white_ marks.

He’s also the only one whose marks don’t flow with his fire. They stay stagnant, as if a rock amongst a river, unmoving even during one of his more angry explosions.

Elementals had a certain color to their marks. They always did. They always have. Which is why he hid them, constantly.

(But, you know, he was a lonely old bastard too. He regretted entering the damned thing the moment he did it, and refused to answer any calls or emails from them once he was sober.)

...but...for some reason, something was...different this time.

Mostly because, he was once again, drunk as a skunk when he answered the call.

And, he’s not one to back down from saying he’d do something. So here he was at that overgrown ugly pink-shaded building, debating on high-tailing it out of there or sitting through this ‘meeting’ and then going home to debate what new item to cook that night.

He’s dressed in his usual business suit, a pocket watch in one pocket, a vest over a light blue shirt, his shiny black shoes, and red tie. He could cut a figure, that was certain.

He’s on the porch where the ‘Garden of Love’ is, smoking, when his… _ugh_ soul mate wanders out, the worker clapping their hands with a grin. Said soul mate was a short skeleton who looked both nervous yet relaxed. What a feat. “I am just so happy we found you both! Now, we-”

“Yeah, whatever,” Fellby turned back to the sight of the garden, taking a drag on the cigarette. The skeleton looked back at the worker, who gave a nervous grin in response.

“W-Well! Well ah, if you need us…” the bowed their head, quickly making themselves scarce as said skeleton took a seat on the ledge with a grunt, hands in his jacket pockets. 

“Whelp. Hey.”

“Look,” Fellby let out a puff of smoke, the cigarette twitching between his ‘lips’. “I’m not into all of this, and I ain’t ooey gooey mushy feels.”

“Then why’d ya sign up?”

Stars, this skeleton sure was nosy, wasn’t he? He huffed, tapping the cigarette ash over the container. “Ain’t gotta tell you that.”

“ ‘s fair,” the other shrugged. “ ‘m Sans.”

“...Fellby.” He huffed. “Why’d YOU sign up then?”

“Eh, my bro wanted to try it, can’t say no to my bro,” he chuckled, his hands worming themselves free from the jacket to clasp in his lap, swinging one let lightly. “Watcha like to do?”

“Look, neither of us really believe in that schtick, right?” He tossed his cig in the trash, grimacing as he crossed his arms. “‘Find your soul mate here’, out of the 99 million other people, right? That’s a load of bull. They get their money and we get squat outta it in the form of-”

“Friends?”

Fellby whipped his head around, staring down at Sans who grinned. “Like, I get it, I doubt it too, but like...well, we can still be friends and stuff. My bro’s better at that anyway.”

Fellby scoffed, one hand slipping into his pocket as he shook his head. “Friends for the low low price of my soul, huh? ...you got a deal.”

He flicked a piece of paper with his number at Sans, who caught it and had immediately nicknamed him ‘Fire Starter’.

Okay, the skeleton was pretty funny, he’d give him that one.

But this shit was stupid, and he was out, ignoring the calls of the secretary as he stomped away.

No, he shouldn’t have ever signed up, to begin with.

~~

Sans comes by every other day and drinks, of all things, ketchup. Grody. But turns out he’d been friends with Fellby’s cousin, Grillby, as kids (Grillby and his family having moved when Fellby was young, and then Fellby coincidentally following in their footsteps years later), and thus Grillby had let him in on Sans’ eccentricities. 

Like puns.

Stars. Above. The puns.

He set a plate of fries down and got a wink in return. “Thanks, hot stuff.” Fellby let out a snort and puff of smoke, shaking his head as he headed off once more to a customer asking for a refill (which is the reason he invested in a pair of rubber gloves).

Sans would stay and talk about his brother, another skeleton who held an interest in literally every single thing that caught his eye. He talked about someone named Toriel who was a childhood friend of his father’s, and his father who...well, Sans would get quiet talking about him, and then change the subject.

Normal stuff.

Eventually, they end up sharing a platter of fries, Fellby’s roasted to charcoal and Sans’ salted to the point of death in any other living creature, talking shit about anything and everything. Sans was a physicist finding himself at a loss for what to do, and Fellby had always BEEN a chef so any other idea was just preposterous.

They talk like this.

They talk like friends.

They talk like people who had known one another for centuries and not a month.

They talk, and talk some more, and even more, and…

~~

“So one day,” Fellby hefts up the bottle of fire tequila, the restaurant closed barring himself and Sans, both of them five sheets to the wind (turns out a loooot of ketchup got Sans drunk, who knew?), Fellby’s feet propped up on the table while Sans’ skull was bright blue as he rested his head on his arms. “One day, this fucking chick comes up.”

“Uh huuuuh,” Sans mumbles, his eye pips fading in and out as he snickered. “Wha’ she do?”

“So she goes,” he tossed one hand up, his voice high pitched in mockery, “ ‘Fellby, I bet we’re destined for each other’, so’s I say ‘fuck off, ya bitch’, and got a suspension,” he downed another swig of tequila as Sans snickered harder.

“Deseeerved it, haha,” Sans snorted as Fellby scoffed, the bottle clunking against his chair under him as his arm flopped down.

“Fuck off, did not,” he grumbled, his hand raising up and rubbing over his face, his glasses clinking when he did so. “...then comes the next day, an’ she’s gone and painted her damn arm with marks.”

“...what.”

This part of the story always had someone pay a lot more attention. Fellby sighed harder, plunking his head back as he rocked the chair a little. “Mmhmm. Says, ‘see? Told ya’ an’ me being the dumbass I was, believed her.”

Sans’ skull is still blue, but he’s looking at Fellby a little stronger now as Fellby takes a drink. “Wha’ happen?”

“Dun find out nothin’ until it rains a month later. Her arm gets wet, the marks fade…” He thunked his elbow on the table, his face on his hand. “And me, thinkin’ I had finally found someone ta make me normal.”

“Wha-normal…? Fellby-”

“Forget it,” he hiccuped, clunking the drink on the table. “Shuddup and drink.”

Sans blinked, still staring at him, and reached for the ketchup.

~~

It happened one night.

It rained, as it usually did this time of year, but it was truly a storm for the ages. Papyrus had been called and made aware Sans was stuck at the bar, and Fellby had informed the customers to try and head home as best they could (he had a BIT of a heart, c’mon now).

Fellby had let Sans upstairs to have the bed, grumbling in response to ‘but what about you?’ with “I’ve got a damn couch, stars.”

Sans came from the bathroom after a quick washup and a long shirt on to see Fellby lying on the couch, shirtless, deep asleep with his glasses in hand. Sans chuckled softly, shuffling over to sneak the glasses out of his hand and tuck them on the table.

Fellby looked...soft this way. Soft and gentle compared to the crackling flames that made up his body.

He was so different than when Sans had first met him.

He had white marks. For fire elementals, this was unheard of, supposedly. Sans wouldn’t know, not really, but he could understand the feeling of being different, of being out of touch with something one felt they should know about.

...he...couldn’t help himself.

He leaned in, pressing a kiss to the crackling flames that made up Fellby’s hair. Said purple flame monster sighed in his sleep, and a noise sounded that was not the storm. Sans sucked in a breath, taking a few steps back with wide eye pips, staring at the bare arm lying around Fellby’s stomach.

And then he popped away, using the shortcut he’d had forever, but hadn’t wanted to use because...because…

~~

“Your brother is a menace.”

“GOOD DAY TO YOU AS WELL, FELLBY!” Papyrus chirped from the door, still grinning brightly. For some odd reason, said fire monster had on a long sleeve sweater in the hot swelter of the day. “ER, MAY I ASK FOR WHAT, THIS TIME?”

“No,” he instantly replied, his hands resting on his hips now. “He in?”

“YES, HE’S IN HIS ROOM!” He stepped back, letting Fellby in who immediately started for the stairs. He made a scene of kicking in the door, and they immediately got into an argument about something Papyrus wasn’t sure about but nonetheless he wandered to the kitchen, putting away breakfast he had made earlier as he whistled.

Ah, ten minutes had passed...he headed to the door, taking a thin jacket and his scarf. “I SHALL BE HOME LATER, BROTHER! HAVE FUN!” Today was training with Undyne and soccer with Frisk and he shall NOT be late for either one!

He didn’t hear an answer, but he didn’t hear anyone screaming or things being thrown, so obviously they were getting along!! Papyrus whistled happily as he headed out, locking the door after him. Ah, he knew that the Cupid thing would get his brother to open up more!! He just had a feeling!

(“you called me a menace.”

“Eh, I’ve called you worse,” Fellby lazily drew little charcoal lines on Sans’ bare skull, the image of said skeleton colored up and down his flames as they moved. It was like a little bracelet, but in a nicer way, where he could see the other any time he wanted. On Sans’ own arm was himself, not so soft but rather bristling purple flames echoed around the bones, looking devilish and scary.

Sans didn’t care, it seemed, the way he was plunked stark naked in his lap, sweaty and half asleep now. “Rude. I am never a menace.”

“You absolutely are,” he thumped Sans’ head, making him grumble but wrapped his arms around Fellby’s arm, chuckling.

“Heeey, it’s mini me!”

“Shut up, dork.”

Okay, they weren’t the most conventional couple, and maybe they weren’t in that all-encompassing love that was shouted from the rooftops, but they were...relaxed with each other. Happy. They liked to eat each other’s food no matter how badly it was cooked and drink together and crack up.

They had a while to go, for sure, but being at ease with one another, being able to joke and poke fun at each other...that was a step up. Definitely.)

((In the speech at their wedding, Fellby says “And I am DEFINITELY not thanking Cupid’s Arrow because it’s fucking crazy, but what I AM saying is, it gave us a push to each other and that ain’t so bad, I guess.”

“Yeah, it’s okay,” Sans would shrug, and they’d snicker at their own inner joke...and then, you know, finish the whole marriage thing.))

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The marks are mostly black, but differ on color on Elementals. Fellby was tricked by another kid his age who just had a crush on him, but it hurt his feelings bad and made him hate the marks.
> 
> but once he found out his fellow drunken goofball was it, well, he's chill with it
> 
> and then they had sex


	3. Error/Ink

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ink wins a subscription to Cupid's Kiss.
> 
> Error just manages to be in the right place at the right time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These two were hard! Ink is sassy and Error is Tsundere!!! Plus I don't write them very much (if at all) but I hope ya'll like it!

Ink had so many markings. So many. He was literally covered in them, from elbow to kneecap. They were odd swirls, some with little computers, some with knitting needles, some with dolls. It was like his soulmate was trying to shout to the world ‘this is my soulmate! This one right here! No one else’s!’

It felt all-encompassing and warm. It felt...wonderful.

But it was tough to find anyone like that when everyone could SEE the images and just go ‘yeah that’s what I like!’ to get in bed with you.

So he’d taken to covering up. Everything. From neck to ankle, he was covered no matter how hot it was or even if it was raining in a black leotard. It honestly felt good to him, always breathable, not holding him back.

And this way, when others tried to say that it was ‘obvious’ he was their soulmate, he’d ask them devilish questions about what symbol was on his hip or the one on his back.

Of course, one or two were nearly correct, but they always got the one closest to his soul wrong.

It was a rag doll with button eyes. He saw it in the mirror one time. He drew it just to be able to hold it close to him.

(He has one...single...symbol. One. One symbol.

It’s just up near his collarbone, a splash of black ink in a puddle with a discarded paintbrush laying in it.

His soul mate really has no fucking hobbies, does he? 

He hides it under a scarf. When they meet, he’ll make sure to force them into doing new things…

Like doll making.)

Ink hadn’t WANTED to join Cupid’s Kiss...but uh...well. He won it in a raffle. What he was really aiming for was the 24 free artist lessons from a well-known artist he truly admired, but alas…

He could give it away.

He didn’t have to use them.

He didn’t have to reveal his symbols to anyone but himself if he didn’t want to.

But his damn curiosity won out over anything. Curious over whether they could find someone that fit all these minute details. Curious over whether they would, in turn, have any symbols that would fit him. He knew one might be about his paints, or his drawings, oh wait maybe it would be a neat fountain pen??

Okay so he didn’t really know, but he could imagine!

The first time...failed. Spectacularly even. So much so that Ink still laughs about it to this day. The human was so insistent that she demanded to see Ink’s marks, which had to result in her being banned from the premises. Only his luck would end in him being tackled by a crazed woman desperate for her soulmate.

Like, really now! She didn’t even know what he liked! The only match was she knew about computers. Pretty bad on their end.

The second, another failure. The Bull monster was very apologetic, his arms colored in various tattoo markings in beautiful arrays. Alas, Ink was not a tattoo artist but merely a painter. But, he and Jicc-the monster-traded numbers as they had become fast friends. Jicc was a large dark blue Bull monster with one horn curled a little too sharply. He had no nose ring like others of his species, and he sheepishly admitted he had a fear of needles and pain, which made his soulmate a very ironic joke.

(Plus, Ink was massively impressed in his marks and wanted to see the person Jicc ever found.)

The third...then the fourth...then Ink was starting to have doubts. Maybe his markings were too varied? Too hard to understand? And his own, too generic?

When he leaves the room, he has to wait. Someone is at the desk right now.

They’re not very tall, perhaps a few inches shorter than Ink himself. They have black bones with odd error markings, some bones are red, and he has a blue scarf wrapped around his neck despite it being nearly a million degrees out. He has a bag wrapped around him, talking with the receptionist. 

Out of the bag, he pulls out a handmade cupid doll. The woman perks up, eager to take it from him. “Oh thank you so much, Error! He is an absolute cutie!”

“I mean, you paid for him,” he shrugged. “He’s got bow and arrows, too.”

“Oh!” she squeals, turning the doll in her hands. Even from Ink’s novice view, he could see the care put into it. On the Cupid’s back, behind his curls of blonde hair, lay a quiver of arrows, also made of yarn. “Aww! I love it, thank you. You didn’t have to bring him here, though. I could’ve met you.”

“It’s fine...Gen keeps saying I need to get out anyway,” he scratched his cheek, his roaming eye pips catching sight of Ink who waved jauntily. “Uh. Sorry. Forgot you’re still at work,” he muttered, taking a step away and fiddling with his scarf.

“Sorry, Mister Ink!” She quickly plunked the little cupid down on her desk still seeming enthralled in it. “So, how did it-”

“I like you!” Ink instantly clasped his hands around the other’s, little hearts popping around his head with a bright grin. “You’re adorable! We should date.”

The other skeleton flushed bright yellow, his eye sockets glitching out with ones and zeroes. “W-What?!”

~~

Error couldn’t believe the audacity of this skeleton. To touch him!! Hold his hand!! Take him to a cafe for coffee and pie!!

Actually that was his idea, but he could blame ‘Ink’ for this entirely.

Said skeleton was busy pouring sugar in his cup, stirring slowly as if enraptured by the swirl of the coffee. Eventually he looked up, grinning at Error before putting the sugar down on the table. “Sorry, I love super sweet drinks.”

“Gross,” he muttered, adjusting his bag, refusing to call it fidgeting. Ink laughed, taking a long sip before plunking the cup back on the table with a happy sigh.

“You can say that! Anywho, so, what d’ya say? Wanna date?”

Ah, yeah, that. He seemed so nonchalant with just yelling out his feelings, regardless of what others seem to think. Error sunk into his scarf, flushing brighter. “Y-You! You just don’t care, huh?”

“Nah,” Ink laughed, one arm perched on the back of his chair as he grinned. “I go with the wind, the turn of the tide! It’s, you know, more fun that way.”

“Ugh. Whatever.” Error took up his own drink, a simple black coffee, and he took a sip, putting it back down and tugging lightly on his scarf again. “Weren’t you there to find your soulmate, dummy?”

“Mm, yeah,” Ink shrugged, his eye pips dancing over Error with a large grin. “But, doesn’t mean we can’t date.”

“And if you get matched?” he scolded, huffing. “Then we break up, is that it?”

“Oohhh, I’m not hearing a noooo!” Ink clasped his hands on the table in front of him, leaning over with a maniac grin and Error leaned back, cursing himself. “Who knows if I will or not? In fact, who cares?”

Error stumbled for his words for a moment. “Your soulmate might care!”

“Not if they’re busy too. Even so, that’s like, way in the future.” Ink waved a hand in the air, laughing. “C’mon, you’re adorable, I think it’d be fun to draw you too!”

“Is that all it is?” he muttered, still a little furious about Ink’s lackadaisical approach. Ink shook his head.

“No. I like painting too!”

“Ugh.”

They sat in semi-silence for a moment, the cafe bustling around them, parting like a river around two large rocks jutting up from the ground. Error grimaced. “How about this. You find something you think I’d like, and maybe I’ll fucking date you.”

Ink brightened up, one eye light turning into a spinning spiral. “Deal! I’ll need your number though.”

Of course he would. He better not text constantly. Error might give in and beat him with his bag.

Before Ink would let him leave, he took Error’s hand in his, grazing his knuckles with a kiss. “Till later~”

Error did NOT blush OR squeak OR anything above, but he DID stomp out of the cafe, hiding in his scarf.

Fucking Ink.

~~

Their first date is, strangely, to the library. Error’s very confused, considering he knows he doesn’t look like the bookish type, and the fact that Ink sits a table away leaving him with a group of people he doesn’t know, until the meeting begins. It’s a Knitting club, filled with human women and teens and monsters and all sorts of people who bring out needles or hooks and various bits of yarn.

He’s so excited, and has so much fun, that when he’s done creating the little dolphin, he immediately bounds over to Ink to shove it in his face. “Look!”

“Aww! That’s so cute, sweetie!”

Error curls up his nose. “Don’t call me that.” Then he brightened. “And they know a place I can get my initials on my needles. That’s so neat.”

“Mmhmm,” Ink grins, and it’s that moment that Error spies a notebook open in front of Ink, pen and pencil next to it. 

In beautiful graphite, it’s Error, bent over with the dolphin facing him, a hook in hand, and a large happy grin on his face. It’s weirdly detailed for how short a time they’ve been here, and it makes his face burn in a blush as Ink grins at him larger than ever. “You were so happy that I couldn’t resist!”

“...dork,” he mutters, turning around to go back to the group to get info on the next meeting. He gives the dolphin to one of the teens who seemed obsessed with oceanic wildlife, and she squeezes the dolphin to her chest in pure happiness.

Error can’t stop smiling the entire day, even when Ink got brave enough to kiss his cheek and he had to yell at him for being so bold.

Their second date is at a video game place, and Ink persuades him to try a game called ‘Unravel’. He’s so enthralled, sitting on the couch the place had provided, leaning on Ink’s side as he watches the little yarn creature respond to his commands.

There’s another date, then another, then another…

He learns that Ink has a giant novelty paintbrush that sometimes he likes to paint on large canvasses with. Ink has a brother that he hasn’t seen in a while, and a father he doesn’t want to see. Ink’s favorite taste is anything sweet, except candy. He actually hates candy. He always wears a leotard under his clothes, and he doesn’t know how to drive. He can, however, drive a moped.

He tells Ink that his favorite yarn is dark blue and eyelash thin. He has a brother that he doesn’t remember where he’s gone to, and his parents are long gone. His favorite treat is chocolate, the only sweet he can tolerate. He never takes his scarf off, and he’s actually terrified of driving. He does know how to ride a skateboard, but hasn’t in years.

They start to go to each other’s houses, despite Error’s fussing about them being ‘too close’.

Ink’s home smells of paint and charcoal and wood. Everything is messy, except for a desk in the corner, which is the cleanest of the entire house. There’s a sheet of paper on it, with various pencils to the side.

Error’s home, on the other hand, is immensely clean...except for the craft room that Ink finds fun to hang out in with him. It’s a complete mess, a cart with so many hooks and needles dangling from it. Four or five buckets of yarn of various colors. The closet has dolls nearly falling off the shelves. Pieces of yarn litter the floor, his special scissors laid in the cart, and a beanbag chair so he can relax as he works.

He learns that sometimes, Ink has...an episode. He can’t explain it, or probably just wouldn’t, but sometimes he just feels...withdrawn. Down. Like nothing matters. He explains this all peppy and smiling that Error, for a fleeting moment, doesn’t believe it. But there’s something in Ink’s gaze that...well, it’s a little terrifying.

To counteract it, he drinks something that looks alarmingly like his paints, but it helps.

He tells Ink that years ago, he hated people touching him, in any manner. He’s worked through it, for sure, but when Ink suddenly grabbed his hands, he had a crash and meltdown in his head. Had it been all those years ago, he would have screamed, thrown things, and sobbed on the ground. Now he just grouses about it.

Ink’s hands don’t feel like needles on his bones, not like how others’ hands used to feel. Rather, they’re warm, encapsulating, but it’s still terrifying all the same.

Ink apologizes.

Error turns the conversation to Cupid’s Arrow, and what Ink’s gonna do if they can’t find anyone for him. Instead, he gets a smile in return. “Don’t worry about it. Hey, can you show me how to knit?”

Turns out no. Ink’s hold is too loose to properly gather the yarn together, but they’re laughing together, and Error feels comfort in those times.

He doesn’t bring up Cupid’s Arrow again, but he is rather curious. After all, they didn’t quite bring their promise about finding Ink’s soulmate, and he just kind of left. So, that’d be a fail on their part, right?

Months down the road, it doesn’t matter in the slightest.

~~

They’re mid-makeout, Ink missing his jacket with that stupid leotard on, Error still fully clothed but feeling hot, when Ink pauses, hovering over Error with a grin. “Hey. Wanna see something?”

Error panted, his mouth a little numb with how hard they’d been kissing, already feeling worn out as he struggled to clear his brain. “U-Uh, sure?”

Ink grinned at him, bringing a hand up to his chest. A finger hooked into Ink’s leotard, and he slowly peeled it down.

A brilliant rainbow shone between them. Swirls of color and marks that appeared like little teddy bears or some series of numbers that disappeared under the rest of the leotard.

A stone fell in his stomach. Oh. Oh.

Oh.

This was it, huh? One last hurrah before Ink let him down to go after whoever it had been. He swallowed, hesitating. “S-So? Cool. Nice for you,” he averted his eye pips, scowling.

Ink laughed, and Error felt even more hurt at that until Ink grabbed at his scarf. He hissed, holding onto it. “What are you doing!”

“Do you never check, silly?” Ink dove for a kiss, so Error’s hands were full switching from the scarf to batting at Ink’s shoulders before he unwrapped it. 

There, in brilliant rainbow form, was the ink puddle. It glistened against his dark black bones.

...he...kind of felt like an idiot. Like, a lot of an idiot. Instead, he just smacked Ink again who laughed. “But you never checked!”

“I don’t-!” He huffed, crossing his arms under Ink, definitely not pouting now. “I...don’t...like being reminded of it.”

“Why not?” A question mark appeared in Ink’s eye socket and Error groaned, hiding his face in his hands.

“You have one hobby! Fucking one! How hard do you think that was going to be?!”

“Oh!” Exclamation points now, and Ink laughed, peppering Error’s hissy face in kisses. “I’m sorry, love! I am just a very focused artist.”

“You’re damn righ-hey!” Error shrieked, arms waving as Ink manhandled him, stripping him of his shirt. “What are you doing!”

“Trying to find the little me! I wonder where it is...since you never saw it. Maybe…”

Error shrieked again at the touch to his pelvis, aiming a kick at Ink, just to send the other into a fit of laughter just before Error turned and tackled him, both of them rolling off the couch and onto the carpet, Ink resuming their kissing now.

(Little Error, it appeared, was several tiny shapes formed into one, sitting pleasantly on Ink’s wrist. He teased that he would never hide it and would show it off to everyone, making Error smack him with a pillow.

Little Ink was under his knee, just as hard to see as his mark, just as hidden. Ink kissed it, quelling the shrieky little skeleton for a moment.

Together, they made a brilliant rainbow hue.)

“Won a subscription here. No one matched up to me. Found The One in the lobby visiting and we now live happily together where he fusses at me for leaving things on the floor and I let him sit on my lap when he’s moody. 10/10, would visit again...although, one soulmate’s all I need ;)”

-Ink, review for Cupid’s Arrow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ink knew since the first time he kissed Error. Error couldn't have known because...well...look down near your own neck! You can't see it. He'd have to use a mirror, and well...he also felt...pretty bad that he only had the *one*
> 
> So he just never looked.
> 
> Ah well. Ink's got him now UwU Silly moody skeleton.


End file.
